Peshawar, December 14, 2009 - In a ceremony held on December 14th, U.S. Consul General Candace Putnam delivered four search and rescue equipment kits to the NWFP Provincial Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Authority (PaRRSA). The equipment will help fire and rescue personnel to safely remove victims from disaster scenes.

Each Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue Kit includes basic rescue equipment such as ropes and pulleys, hydraulic jacks, chain saws, industrial drills, and emergency medical supplies. "These kits will provide rescue workers the life-saving tools they need to ensure that the wounded reach medical experts sooner," said the Consul General.

"During the recent spate of terrorist attacks in the Peshawar area, the lack of sophisticated rescue equipment available to our response teams was badly felt by the provincial overnment," Mr. Muhammad Azam Khan, Commissioner of Peshawar. "This assistance from the United States comes at just the right time."